Will Smith complains about “arrogance and agenda” of NFL investigators

Posted by Mike Florio on October 9, 2012, 7:34 PM EDT

AP

Of the four players who received renewed discipline for their involvement in the Saints’ alleged bounty program, only Saints defensive end Will Smith had no changes made to his penalty.

He initially was suspended four games, and he once again has been suspended four games. Understandably, he’s not happy about it.

“I remain frustrated with the continued unilateral rulings by this commissioner as he continues to disregard the facts and assault my character,” Smith said in a statement released to PFT. “Let me be clear– I never participated in a ‘pay-to-injure program,’ never took the field with intent to injure another player, and never contributed any money to hurt other players. It was my hope that those investigating would put their arrogance and agenda aside in order to comprehend the difference between a ‘pay-for-performance program’ and a ‘pay-to-injure program,’ but until that day, I will continue to pursue my appeal options through the NFLPA, and attempt to return to work for my family, teammates, fans and the city of New Orleans.”

Smith has the right to appeal the ruling of Commissioner Roger Goodell, to Commissioner Roger Goodell. If the appeal is affirmed, Smith likely will once again pursue a court order overturning the suspension.

Every guilty person says they are innocent and every innocent person says they are innocent. That means nothing. If the correct process was followed and the person or people judging were within their rights to make the decision then the suspensions should just be served and everyone should move on. That what the appeals are about. Making sure the correct process was followed. The arrogance of investigators according to the person being investigated is not somethig anyone should consider.

Asking Roger Goodell to put his arrogance and agenda aside is like asking a snake to stop slithering and biting mice. Since all players who have left the Saints have seen their suspensions reduced, while all current Saints have seen them upheld, we can only assume that a big quid pro quo is coming in return for Gregg Williams affadavit. I bet Williams will be back in time to sign and coach Hargrove mid-season.

To Will Smith’s point, when you have players denying their involvement in such a program, yet have players from the Jets admitting to trying to take out Reggie Bush (and accomplishing it) and two weeks later the same team takes out Brian Cushing with a late and illegal hit, but the Commissioner states there is nothing to it, that is the definition of arrogance and an agenda. Rex Ryan should be out of the league because unlike Sean Payton, there are actually injuries here.

Will Smith doesn’t seem to comprehend that whatever name he gives to his actions, they were still breaking the rules and illegal and he should be lucky to only have a 1 year suspension. This piece of trash deserves a lifetime ban from the NFL.

I’m so beyond sick of this story. In the off-season it was fine since there was nothing else really going on but now that the NFL season is actually going on this story is going to be incredibly annoying to fans of the 31 other teams. That is unless you think Browns fans are counting on Scott Fujita to save their team.

None of these players are going to help the Saints, they are a dead end 1-4 team and are lucky that Melvin Ingram made a rookie mistake or else they’d be 0-5.

Football wise, the Saints and this long drawn out case are irrelevant.

“Let me be clear– I never participated in a ‘pay-to-injure program,’ never took the field with intent to injure another player, and never contributed any money to hurt other players. It was my hope that those investigating would put their arrogance and agenda aside in order to comprehend the difference between a ‘pay-for-performance program’ and a ‘pay-to-injure program,’ but until that day, I will continue to pursue my appeal options
——————-

Sounds to me that he confessed to Goodell that he did offer money to a pool, but tried convincing Goodell that it was for performance, not injuries.

That may be his argument, but if the “perfomance” he was talking about had anything to do w/ “cart offs” or “whacks” then it’s pay to injure… regardless if they were legal or illegal hits.

How can you tell if a player is thinking about injuring another player? You can’t, and it’s absurd for Goodell to be trying to enforce this “though police” thing of his. If you put yourself in Will Smith’s shoes, you can understand why the man is mad that Goodell told the world that he was intentionally trying to injure people. I don’t think that was his intent anymore than any other NFL player. It’s basically one player buying another player a beer for making a sack. It’s not right for Goodell to be making a big deal about pay-for-performance which can include anything. Keep it on the field and let the refs call the infractions when it happens instead of Goodell throwing flags for what was in a players mind, from 3 years ago.

Two coaches give sworn statements, which conflict with each other. Somebody is actually guilty of perjury. This is the “evidence” that Goodell is using, and people can just accept that “they did it, they need to own it and shut up!” It amazes me how people will believe whatever they are told. Believe what you want, but this is going to a REAL court.

“Football wise, the Saints and this long drawn out case are irrelevant.”
^^^^^
Hardly irrelevant when the commissioner arbitrarily and singlehandedly castrated the Saints’ season before it even began by suspending Sean Payton for the year and others for varying lengths of time.

The commissioner is a myopic and hypocritical tool who was clearly never going to do anything other than reinstate these same penalties once the suspensions were overturned with no evidence being made public (yet the Kool Aid drinkers here buy it hook, line and sinker anyway). This was only about saving face for Goodell, nothing more, nothing less.

Meanwhile. the Jets boast about injuring Reggie Bush, and then put out one of the top defensive players on one of the top teams in the NFL on NATIONAL TELEVISION and it is pretty much a slam dunk that no suspension or even a fine will be forthcoming. Disgusting.

Also, why would Goodell need to bribe Fujita with a 1 game suspension? If he accepts it THEN Goodell can say they are guilty. Just my opinion, but if that works he won’t have to go to court, and he will win.

He mighta done betta had he handled it ala Costanza (after the cleaning lady):

“What? Was that wrong? Should I have not done that? If I had know that was wrong, if someone had said that was wrong when I first started here……..that sort of thing happens all the time at other places I worked”

The Saints…are coming…and they’re going to lose, lose and lose some more! Don’t care what the liars say. They’re liars. It’s what they do. The important part is, Brees and everybody else in the bayou are getting it shoved right up their sphincter!

Cash rules everything around me.
Saints got caught doing what everyone else is doing. Im tired of hearing this bs. thought the court over ruled the nfl. Vilma is playing. Now he s suspended. Now goodell is meeting with vilmas grandma. She cooking him chicken. Goodells washing her hair. Now vilmas jealous. What else can happen. Take the suspension like men and play week 9. Nuff said. Nfl=$ $=case closed.

You people saying that the players suspensions are well deserved and should be more severe need to get your heads out of your asses. The Saints are struggling this season because Goodell is trying to make an example of them…but he isn’t doing a good job at that. The Jets admit to and successfully injure a player on purpose and they don’t have severe action like that taken upon them. Why? Because Goodell is too busy playing Big Brother and trying to go all thought police on the players because he has no solid, concrete evidence that they actually took part in this program, just suspicion because of conflicting testimonies of coaches. Stop with the hate. He is trying to ruin these guys’ careers by way of slander and it’s not right. Would you like it if someone did that to you?

Another stupid NFL player who conveniently forgot that he agreed to this process in the CBA. Makes me wonder if he would think the investigators arrogant had Breeze been the target of a bounty program. Probably not.

What an arrogant liar. Smith and company deserve the Karma they brought to themselves not only with their actions on the field, but their repeated denials that they’ve done nothing wrong. Steelfann said it best.

What a shame, just another idiot. By the time the appeal process is over, so will the season be.
This is boring and no one cares anymore. Get over it, and go and do something useful while you are suspended.